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Q: Our dog knows his obedience really well at home. When we are out in public, he gets excited, pulling toward strangers and wanting to jump on them. This is very embarrassing. How can I get him to obey when we are out in public?

A: Dog training is like school. Students begin in kindergarten and work their way up one grade at a time. Obedience at home, where there are few distractions, is a kindergarten-level skill. Behaving politely in an exciting crowded area is high school. Placing a kindergarten student into high school is a recipe for failure.

Dogs need to work at the correct level. Holding them back unnecessarily stunts their progress. Overwhelming and unreasonable expectations set the dog, and owners, up for failure.

Owners can ensure the dog is working at exactly the right level with an easy accuracy test. Accuracy means that the pet understands the skill. If asked to sit and stay, the dog will actually sit and stay, not spin and shake a paw. Testing offers an honest and insightful overview of the dog’s skills.

Begin the test in an easy location. Choose behaviour, such as sit, and get exactly 10 treats ready. Ask the dog to sit. When it responds correctly, give it a treat. If it makes an error or fails to obey within five seconds, set the treat to the side.

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Do not repeat commands. The dog gets one chance per treat. Carefully avoid giving additional hints or gestures. This is a test.

At the end of the test, owners will know exactly how many right responses the dog gave by counting the number of treats that were set aside. If the dog is an A student, getting 80 per cent or more, feel free to retest in a slightly harder location such as the back yard. Keep trying new and progressively more challenging locations.

In areas where the dog scores 70 per cent, spend more time practicing. Should the dog score below 60 per cent, find an easier location. It is working beyond its capabilities and struggling far too much.

Be sure to retest often on all the skills that the dog knows. Attention, focus and discipline develop with time. Targeted practice helps dogs learn more easily. Training at exactly the right level, with a goal of improving behaviour, creates success and pride instead of frustration for both the dog and the owner.

Q: Our puppy happily wags his tail when first meeting people. When they reach to pet him, he jumps back out of fear. It does not make sense that he loves people and simultaneously shies away. What is going on?

A: A wagging tail might be synonymous with a happy dog, but it shouldn’t be. Indecision is a better description. Many dogs will wag their tails just prior to biting. Confident, well-socialized dogs are calm, loose in their movements and relaxed.

Puppies understandably would feel apprehensive in meeting new humans. People tower over small puppies. Our stature turns us into looming giants. That is reason enough to create indecision. Puppies want to visit, yet also feel intimidated.

Plenty of positive socialization helps build a young dog’s confidence. Make this lesson easier by asking people to turn sideways when interacting. This prevents people from bending over the puppy and is thus less threatening.

Tell visitors to scratch the dog under the chin and not on the head. Many dogs find head pats to be unpleasant. Respect is a two-way street. Dogs absolutely should learn to enjoy a head pat. People should also show respect to the dog by offering affection in a manner that the dog welcomes.

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